Maps Redrawn

The Silent Language of Maps: An Introduction

Imagine holding the world in your hands. That’s the promise of a map. But what if the image you hold isn't quite the truth? What if the map subtly—or not so subtly—shapes your understanding of the world, reinforcing hidden biases and agendas? This book is about uncovering the silent language of maps, revealing how these seemingly objective tools wield immense power in shaping our perceptions and influencing our realities.

We often think of maps as neutral representations of geographical space, akin to photographs. Yet, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Every map is a product of choices: what to include, what to exclude, what to emphasize, and what to minimize. These choices, consciously or unconsciously, reflect the mapmaker's perspective, the prevailing social norms, and the political climate of their time. In essence, maps aren't mirrors; they are arguments.

The Earliest Voices

The urge to map is as old as humanity itself. Even before writing, our ancestors etched rudimentary maps onto cave walls, clay tablets, and even their own bodies. These weren't just about finding the best hunting grounds or remembering the path back home; they were about establishing a sense of place, defining territories, and transmitting knowledge across generations.

One of the earliest known maps is the Imago Mundi, a Babylonian world map dating back to the 6th century BCE. Carved onto a clay tablet, it depicts Babylon at the center of the world, surrounded by a circular ocean and various mythical creatures. Notice that it isn't designed for navigation but for cosmological understanding, placing Babylon at the literal and figurative heart of existence.

Did You Know? The Marshall Islanders created stick charts from coconut fibers and shells to navigate the Pacific Ocean. These weren't accurate geographical representations but rather wave patterns and swell directions recognized by experienced sailors. Navigation was less about where you were and more about how the ocean felt.

Early maps created by the Greeks, such as those by Anaximander and Hecataeus, attempted to create more geographically accurate representations of the known world. However, even these maps were heavily influenced by philosophical and cultural beliefs. The Greeks placed their own civilization at the center of the world, reflecting their perceived superiority and centrality in the cosmos.

Cartographic Subjectivity: More Than Meets the Eye

The inherent subjectivity of mapmaking stems from several unavoidable factors:

Projection: Representing a spherical Earth on a flat surface inevitably involves distortion. Different map projections prioritize different aspects, such as preserving area, shape, distance, or direction. The choice of projection can dramatically alter our understanding of the relative sizes and shapes of continents. The Mercator projection, for example, famously inflates the size of landmasses at higher latitudes, making Europe and North America appear larger than they actually are compared to Africa and South America.

Selection: Mapmakers must decide what features to include and exclude. This involves prioritizing certain information over others. A political map might emphasize national borders and capitals, while a topographic map focuses on elevation and physical features. The selection process reflects the mapmaker's purpose and perspective.

Symbolization: The way features are represented on a map—through colors, symbols, and labels—is also subjective. A river could be depicted as a thin blue line, a wide blue band, or even omitted altogether. The choice of symbolization can influence our perception of the importance and scale of different features.

Consider the Peters projection as an alternative to the Mercator. It accurately represents the area of landmasses, offering a more equitable view of the world's continents. However, it distorts the shapes of landmasses, leading to a different set of visual biases. There is no truly objective map projection; each involves trade-offs and inherent distortions.

Did You Know? During the Cold War, maps often exaggerated the size of the Soviet Union to create a heightened sense of threat. This was a deliberate strategy to justify military spending and maintain public support for anti-communist policies.

The Power of Maps: Claiming Territory and Shaping Identity

Throughout history, maps have been powerful tools for claiming territory, controlling resources, and shaping national identities. Colonial powers, in particular, relied heavily on cartography to legitimize their claims to land and resources in newly discovered territories.

The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, where European powers carved up the African continent, is a stark example of how maps were used to divide and conquer. Using rudimentary maps, European leaders drew arbitrary boundaries that disregarded existing ethnic, linguistic, and cultural divisions. These lines on a map had devastating consequences for the people of Africa, leading to decades of conflict and instability.

Maps also play a crucial role in shaping national identity and fostering a sense of belonging. National maps often emphasize the country's size, strategic location, and natural resources, reinforcing a sense of pride and nationalism. They can also be used to promote particular narratives about a nation's history and culture.

For example, historical maps depicting a nation's territorial expansion can be used to legitimize current borders and assert claims to disputed territories. Conversely, maps that omit or minimize the presence of certain minority groups can contribute to their marginalization and exclusion.

The map is not the territory. - Alfred Korzybski

This quote by Alfred Korzybski highlights the fundamental difference between a representation and the reality it depicts. Maps are simplifications and abstractions, never perfect reflections of the world. Recognizing this distinction is crucial for understanding the potential for maps to mislead and manipulate.

Cultural Influence and the Definition of Identities

Maps are not just tools for navigation or political control; they are also cultural artifacts that reflect and shape our understanding of the world. The way different cultures represent space, time, and place can vary significantly.

Consider the concept of cognitive maps, which are the mental representations we create of our surroundings. These maps are based on our personal experiences, memories, and emotions, and they can differ significantly from formal cartographic maps. Our cognitive maps are influenced by our cultural background, social interactions, and individual perceptions.

For example, indigenous cultures often have unique ways of representing space that are not easily captured by Western cartographic conventions. Aboriginal Australians, for instance, use songlines to navigate vast distances, relying on oral traditions and ancestral knowledge rather than formal maps.

Did You Know? The T-O map was a common medieval European world map that depicted the three continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa as arranged inside a circle. Asia typically occupied the top half of the circle, reflecting its perceived importance and association with the Garden of Eden. This biased representation reinforced a Eurocentric worldview.

Furthermore, maps can be used to reinforce or challenge existing power structures and social inequalities. Critical cartography is a field of study that examines the ways in which maps are used to promote particular ideologies and marginalize certain groups. By deconstructing the hidden biases and assumptions embedded in maps, critical cartographers seek to create more equitable and inclusive representations of the world.

As we delve deeper into the history and evolution of maps in this book, we will uncover the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which cartography has shaped our perceptions of the world. From ancient clay tablets to modern digital maps, these powerful tools have influenced our understanding of territory, identity, and power. By learning to read the silent language of maps, we can become more critical consumers of information and more informed citizens of the world.

From Clay Tablets to Parchment Scrolls: Ancient Cartography

Imagine trying to describe your neighborhood to someone who’s never been there. You might sketch a quick map, noting key landmarks like the bakery on the corner, the park down the street, and the location of your house. Now, imagine trying to map the entire world using only the tools and knowledge available thousands of years ago. This was the challenge faced by ancient cartographers, and their remarkable attempts provide a fascinating glimpse into the dawn of mapmaking.

This chapter delves into the earliest known efforts to represent the world, exploring the materials, techniques, and worldviews that shaped ancient maps. We'll journey from the baked clay tablets of Mesopotamia to the meticulously drawn parchment scrolls of the classical world, examining how each civilization grappled with the complexities of portraying a vast and largely unknown Earth.

Babylonian Beginnings: Mapping on Clay

Our journey begins in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), the cradle of civilization, where the earliest known maps were created. The Sumerians and Babylonians, renowned for their advancements in mathematics, astronomy, and writing, also left behind a legacy of cartographic innovation.

Instead of paper, they used readily available clay. Soft clay tablets were inscribed with cuneiform script and rudimentary geographical representations. One of the most famous examples is the Imago Mundi, a Babylonian world map dating back to around 600 BCE. This map, circular in shape, depicts Babylon at the center, surrounded by a ring of water and various mythical lands and islands.

The Imago Mundi wasn’t meant to be a precise geographical representation in the modern sense. Instead, it served as a symbolic and cosmological depiction of the world as the Babylonians understood it. The surrounding lands were often associated with mythical creatures and deities, reflecting the Babylonian worldview that intertwined the physical world with the realm of the gods.

Did You Know? The Babylonians used a base-60 number system, which we still use today for measuring time (60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour) and angles (360 degrees in a circle). Their mathematical prowess influenced their approach to surveying and mapping.

However, Babylonian maps weren’t solely based on mythology. They also created practical maps for land administration and surveying. These maps, though less elaborate than the Imago Mundi, were crucial for managing agricultural lands, delineating property boundaries, and planning irrigation systems. Imagine a Babylonian surveyor, carefully measuring a field with ropes and stakes, then meticulously recording the dimensions